Article holder



3 A. 'r. FISCHER 2,102,690 ARTiCLE HOLDER Y Filed ma :21, 1936 urm: JOHN'CIGNQSI 5| H Z J INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

' Patented'Dec. 21,1937

-' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AancLn-nomna AlbertT. Fischer, Cleveland Heights, 01110 1 Application May 21, 1930, Serial No. soma- 4 Claims.

This invention relates to an article holder and,

as its principal object,- aims to provide a novel device of this kind of simple and economical form which is especially suitable for holding packages or articles and which is also very useful for display and advertising purposes.

The hereinafter described method of printing and cutting rubber bands is more fully disclosed, and claimed, in my copending application Serial No. 36,751 filed August 17, 1935.

An object of my invention is to provide an article holder of simple and inexpensive construction having means for adhesively mounting the same on a pane of glass or other support and also having elastic means embracing the article being held.

A furtherobject of my invention is to provide an improved article holder comprisinga rubber band having'a stiifening member therein con-- nected with one side of the band, and an adhesive on the outer face of the side to which said stiffening member is connected.

' Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing my nove article holder in use.

Fig. 2 is a side view of my article holder show- 80 ing the same before attachment to a support.-

Fig. 3 is an edge view of the holder.

Fig. 4 is another side view of my article holder showing the protective covering for the adhesive partially torn off. k Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view through my article holder taken on line 55 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a sectional plan view taken on line t& of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a front elevation of another article holder of my invention.

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 8--8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a view taken through the support and showing the article holder of Fig. '7 in plan, and

Fig. 10 is a plan view showing still another form of myarticle holder.

In the drawing to which more detailed reference will presently be made, I have shown article holders embodying my invention, and have also illustrated the manner of using these improved article holders. While I have illustrated only what I regard to be the preferred forms of my improved article holder and their manner of use,

it will be. understood, of course, that the invention maybe embodied in various other specific forms of devices and that article holders embodying my invention may be applied to numerous different uses.

The form of my improved article-holder illustrated inFig. 1 includes an elastic band I0, which 5 isadapted to embrace an article to be held such as the package H, and a means. for connecting a portion of the elastic band with a support. The

( elastic band may be an endless, relatively wide rubber band of the type commonly used for pack- 9 aging and other sundry purposes. When embodied in my novel article holder this rubber band has sides l2 and [3 which extend in substantially parallel relation but remain connected together adjacent their ends. 15 The connecting means, by which the elastic. band is connected with a support such as the pane of glass M, may be a layer it of a suitable adhesive applied to the outer face of the side Hi. This improved holder may also include a stiilen- 2o ing strip or spreader it which is disposed within the band and is connected with the inner face of the side it. This strip is preferably a semi-rigid strip formed of cardboard or any other suitable material. The strip is preferably, though not 25 necessarily, of a length to normally hold the elastic band in a flat condition, as shown in'Fig. 3, r with the sides 52 and I3 extending in substantially parallel relation with their adjacent faces engaging the strip. Any suitable connecting means 3i) may be used to connect the strip it with the inner face of the side 53, such as a layer i'i of suitable cement or other adhesive.

From the construction of my novel article holder as just described, it will be seen that the 35 section or side it of the band extending across the back of the spreader presents a flat surface which can be connected with a support, such as a wall or the pane of glass it, by means of the layer or coating of adhesive l5, and that when the 40 holder is thus connected with the support the section or side i2 extending across the. front of the spreader canbe stretched away from the support and the strip or spreader Hi to receive the article which-is to be held. When the article is 45 inserted between the side l2 and the strip iii the elastic band embraces and grips the article and holds the same relatively closely against the wall or pane of glass forming the support to which the 50 holder has been applied.

As the adhesive layer i5 any suitable cement or adhesive substance may be employed, but I prefer to use a. tacky adhesive which is applied to the outer face of the side I3 and which maybe protected by a strip l8 until the holder is to be put into use. This strip may be of treated fabric such that it can be torn from the adhesive layer, as illustrated in Fig. ,4, just prior to the pressing of the outer face of the side l3 against the support.

The protective strip I8 is preferably made some-' what longer than the strip l6, so that a projecting end of the former strip may be conveniently grasped for tearing the same away from the adhesive layer.

My improved article holder, as just described,

may be used for various purposes, and may be applied to numerous difierent supports, for example, it may be used to hold a relatively light weight article such as a package of cigarettes or a box of matches and when so used may be mounted on a wind-shield or some other part of a motor vehicle, or maybe mounted upon a wall of a room or any other available support. My article holder is also very useful for display and advertising purposes, and when applied to this use it may be mounted on a store Window or wall or the glass of a show-case or upon various other available supports.

I find it desirable, especially when my article holder is used for display and advertising purposes, to provide the holder with printing 20 on the outer face of one or both of the sides 12 and it of the band. This printing may be a name, trade-mark or other designation and preferably, though not necessarily, pertains to the article being held by the holder. As an example of such use, the holder may be applied to a pane of glass M, as shown in Fig. 1, which may be the window of a retail store. The holder thus applied to the store window may be used to hold a package It containing cigars, and the printing 2!) on the band may be the brand name of the cigars thus displayed. When the holder is used in this way the attention of customers and passersby will be attracted to the package of cigars or other article supported on the Window, and after their attention has been thus drawn to the article they will observe the brand name or other designation 20 printed on the band.

Although, as mentioned above, any suitable form of adhesive may be used for the layer l5, it is desirable to use a transparent or substantially colorless adhesive for this purpose, so that the printing 20 appearing on the outer face of the side it! will not be hidden.

The improved article holder illustrated in Figs.

1 to 6 may be produced by any suitable method of manufacture and by the use of any suitable machinery, but I find that it can be very economically produced by cutting the bands from a tube. I may use a. rubber tube of proper width to provide the bands ill of the length desired, and may insert into the tube a sheet of cardboard, or other suitable stiffening material, of a width to stretch the tube transversely to a substantially flat collapsed condition. A coating or layer of adhesive is applied'to one face of the stiffening sheet or to one inside face of the tube, or to both of the faces mentioned, so that when the sheet is inserted into the tube it will be cemented or attached to one inner face thereof. While thus held in a transversely stretched substantially flat condition by the stiffening sheet, the tube is passed through a printing apparatus which causes the device 20 to be printed thereon as regularly spaced recurring devices on one or both of the outer faces of the tube. When these devices are printed on both outer faces of the tube they are printed in juxtaposition, that is to say, with the device on one In producing .the holders in this manner" face of the tube directly opposite or in registry with the device on the opposite face of the tube.

The desired adhesive which forms the connecting means I Smay then be appliedto the I outer faceof the side or wall to which the stiffening sheet is ccnnected and may be covered by a protective sheet of fabricor the like. The tube assembly thus prepared can then be fed to a cutting device'which cuts the assembly transversely between each. pair of devices printed thereon. The cutting operation thus severs the tube into bands and at the same time cuts the stiffening sheet to form the strips I6 and cuts the protective fabric to form the protective strips iii.

In Figs. '7, 8 and 9 of the drawing I show another form which my article holder may assume and in which an elastic band 48 embraces and grips the article 36 to be held. The band 48 may be a rubber band which is connected, by means ofa staple 39 or the like, with a device of a construction similar to the article holder shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5. This latter device comprises a spreader 5811 which is disposed in a rubber band and has one face thereof cemented or otherwise adhesively connected with one side, in this instance the side 51a, of the rubber band. The outer or rear face of the side am of the rubber band is coated with suitable cement or adhesive 52 which serves to connect the device with the surface of the support 31?. Thus the article holder illustrated in Figs. 7, 8 and 9 comprises a device similar to that shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5 and which is adapted to be adhesively connected with the support 3?, and, in addition, a second rubber band 48 which is connected with the spreader, by a staple or equivalent means, and which forms an article embracing loop.

The article holder mined by the .rubber band 48 and the connecting device engaging the support 3i may have advantages over the form of article holder illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6. For example, this form of holder can be advantageously used to support'articles which are heavier than the type of article illustrated in Fig. 1, because with the single point of connection between the band 48 and the connecting device, there is less tendency for the end portions of the band and spreader strip 50 to be pulled away from the face of the support 37 by the weight of the article.

In Fig. 10 I have shown another form of article holder which is substantially identical with the article holder shown in Figs. 1 to 6, except that the side I" of the rubber band 55 is connected at one or more points with the spreader strip 56 by staple means 57 or the like. The connecting of the side 54 of the rubber band with the spreader strip at one or more points intermediate the ends of the latter provides a pluralityof band loops, as illustrated in Fig. 10, each of which is adapted to embrace and grip an article 58 to be held.

should be understood that I do not wish to be v limited to the precise form of construction and use herein disclosed, but regardthe invention as l including such changes and modifications as do not constitute a'departure from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the, appended claims. Having thus described my invention, I claim: 1. An article holder for application to a generally flat wall surface or like support, comprising a flat endless elastic, band, a spreader of sheet material disposed in the band and normally holding portions'thereof in substantially parallel relation, the portion of the band extending across the front of the spreader being free to be stretched forgrlpping an article and the portion of the band extending across the back of the spreader being substantially uniformly connected therewith, the latter portion of the band presenting a flat surface adapted to be placed against said wall surface and having a layer of adhesive on said flat surface for connecting the holder with the support.

2. An article holder for application to a generally flat wall surface or like support, comprising a fiat endless elastic band,'a spreader in the band, said spreader being of substantially the same width as the band and of a length to hold the front and back portions of the band in sub stantially parallel relation, said front portion of the band being free to be stretched relative to the spreader for gripping an article and said back portion being substantially uniformly connected with the spreader, said back portion of the hand presenting a flat surface having thereon a substantially coextensive layer of adhesive adapted to'be pressed against said wall surface for connectins the holder therewith.

3. In an article holder for application to a the band extending across the front of the spreader being connected therewith at one or more points whereby such front portion of the band provides a plurality of. article receiving loops.

4. In an article holder for application to a generally flat wallsupport, a flat rubber band, a spreader in the band, the portion of the band extending across the back of the spreader being connected therewith and presenting a flat adhesive-coated surface adapted to be pressed against the wall surface for connecting the holder therewith and the portion of the band extending across the front of the spreader having means connecting it to said spreader, and a second rubber band secured to said spreader by the last mentioned connecting means.

' ALBERT T. FISCHER. 

